Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Favourite Guitar Riff/Solo

Always nice to run across someone who feels the same as I do about the Carpenters, Wayne. First, that voice. I alternate between heartbreak over the loss of a voice that special and rage at her for depriving us of such a profound gift. If she stood before me, right this moment, I don't know if I would hug her and weep for joy or shake her silly.

Second, Richard was a much underrated keyboard player and arranger. Yes, their stuff was POP, and if you don't like POP, it's understandable if you don't care for The Carpenters. No problem. Just don't try to tell me they weren't talented and didn't deserve their success.

RE: Guitar work. Having been a musician all my life, I am not impressed by instrumental calisthenics (YMMV). To me, the measure of greatness is taste - i.e. what notes are played, and when, in the course of a song. Sometimes, speed and a thousand notes per second is EXACTLY the right thing. Often, it is not.

I remember being impressed by a 2 note riff that Jim Messina (Buffalo Springfield, Poco, Loggins and Messina - another underrated musician) played in a Poco song, the name of which escapes me at the moment. At that particular moment it was the PERFECT thing to play. Just two notes. Brilliant!

Of course, taste is subjective. What would lift my heart and make my soul soar might bore you to death..............and vice versa. Doesn't matter. All that matters is that the music, whatever the genre and whatever the reason, touches something within YOU.

I've got the Carpenters SACD on right now!

I always do mellow stuff on Sunday mornings when reading the paper.

Jack, I agree with your post. When I was growing up there was a lot of peer pressure to listen to certain types of music. It would have been 'peer pressure suicide' where I grew up to say you liked artists like The Carpenters, Gordon Lightfoot, Bee Gees and even Janis Joplin (to name a handfull). Thankfully, as we get a little older and wiser(just a little!), we care less about what other people impose on us, and you're very right about Karen Carpenter...I can't listen to here without feeling a sense of loss, a haunting sadness, if you will.

Chet Aitkins - I remembered at 4:00am. This guys playing is downright amazing. You listen to a track and are left thinking its at least two guys playing. I don't own any of his tracks so I can't recommend one, but you should check this guy out.

Here's one of Chet playing a "classic"

I didn't know he played in Buffalo Springfield.

That reminds me of another nice riff CSN Suite Judy Blue Eves. I loved the accoustic in that song. Never knew it was an open E tuning.

Adrian. I went strait from the Highschool AM pop peer pressure group right to the deep end when I took two years of fine arts in college. The first year class was average of 10 years older than me. Imaging going from the carpenters (good) and bubble gum pop (not so good) to Frank Zappa! That was like going from VW beetle (old style) to a Ferrari.

Pop was a no-no when I was going through school. Basically the "battlelines" were drawn between Rock (Sabbath, Zeppelin, Boston, Pink Floyd ect) and the Disco/pop crowd (Abba, Bee Gees, and a whole host of 'one hit' bands). There really was no middle ground, you were for one or the other which was sad because I'm sure many on each side liked some of the 'other' music.

What’s a Riff?

I love to listen to music, pretty much all types, but sadly, I have absolutely no musical ability or talent. I tried the violin and then guitar for several years and just couldn’t get my mind and fingers to cooperate. I can design and build a 6000 HP top fuel engine, but can’t play a note to save my life…..

My favorite guitarist is Angus Young, but that could be that AC/DC is my favorite group, so I’m biased.

I think the most talented guitarist (living) is Tim Reynolds. The things he can make that guitar do simply amaze me. I was in tears a couple times during his and Dave Mathew’s concert DVD.

The one guitar solo that sticks in my mind every time this subject is mentioned is the “duel” scene on the move Crossroads. I think Stevie Vie was the devil?? Not real sure, but I do enjoy the guitar playing on that part of the movie.

Heh... if your favorite group is AC/DC, you know what a riff is. It's that little section of maybe 10 notes they play over and over and over again to make up the song.

Ouch!